This page contains a list of basic Radiant controls, what they do, and how they can be used. It will be a useful reference for new mappers, since remembering the controls, to start with, can be quite difficult.

Also be sure to have a look at the numerous pictures provided on this page and their annotations - visual representation will help you to better understand the workings of Radiant.

Navigation

These are the core basics; learn how to navigate the different views/viewports in Radiant. The three points of interest in this section are as shown in the following screenshot:

The 2D View

This is where you can view your level geometry from a top or side-on view. There are three views you can select: X, Y, and Z. In this picture (and by default), the 2D viewport is set onto the Z view.

You can switch between the X, Y and Z views by pressing Ctrl + Tab. Adjusting the view on the 2D viewport is relatively simple: hold down the Right Mouse button and drag your mouse around to move the view. You can also zoom in and out to get a large or more detailed look at your geometry; to do this, simply hover your mouse over the 2D window and use your scroll wheel.

Another thing the 2D viewport features is a grid. When snapped to it, entities can only move a specific distance before it gets snapped back again. The distance is adjustable, which is useful if you want to move or create something with specific or non-specific dimensions. It can be changed in the Grid menu:

You can also change it by pressing the numbers corresponding to the grid you want on your keyboard.

The 3D View

This viewport is where you can see a visual representation of your level in its three-dimensional glory. Moving around to get a different view of your map can be done like so:

Holding the right mouse button and dragging will allow you to move backwards & forwards, and look to the sides. (Alternatively, you can move forwards and backwards by holding your mouse over the 3D viewport and using the scroll-wheel.)

Holding Ctrl + Right mouse button and dragging will allow you to move up & down.

Holding Ctrl + Shift + Right mouse button and dragging will allow you to look around in any direction without moving the camera.

Texture Window

Displayed here are textures which you can apply to geometry in your map. To select a texture in this window, simply left click on it. You can scroll through the list of textures by using the scroll wheel, or by clicking and dragging on the slider on the right.

Depending on options which can be selected, different textures may be displayed in this window. These can be applied from one of the menu options at the top of Radiant: Clicking Show All (or pressing Ctrl + A) will show all the textures which are available. Clicking Show In Use shows all the current textures being used in your map. Opening the Usage tab near the bottom will display a sub-menu with options such as walls or floors - which will display textures relevant to that category. Other options, such as Surface type can also be used to filter out certain textures if you want the texture window to display only wood, metal etc.

Now that you've got the absolute minimal basics down, have a play around: get used to how the camera controls work so you can get the best out of Radiant.

Creating Objects

Creating Brushes

Brushes are, put very simply, 'blocks'. You can create them to be walls, floors, and a multitude of other things. Creating a brush is quite straightforward.

To create a brush, all that is required is to simply left-click and drag on the 2D view. Its dimensions depend upon how much you drag it in different directions, and also importantly depend on whether your 2D view is set to X, Y or Z; see section 1.1 for more information.

Since dragging on the 2D view will only determine two out of the three dimensions (width, height, depth), the third dimension is determined by your previous selection, such as if you select a brush which is 10 units deep, then create a brush which is 20 units high and 50 units wide, it will also be 10 units deep as was determined by the previously selected brush. Alternatively, you can change dimensions by using the Ctrl + Tab shortcut.

Inserting Prefabs & Models

NOTE: Before reading this guide, determine where your World at War root directory is located.

Non-Steam Install: C:\Program Files (x86)\Activision\Call of Duty World at War\

Steam Install: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Call of Duty World at War\

For the rest of this guide, it will be assumed that the word "root" refers to the appropriate installation path shown above.

Say 'Yes to all' if Windows asks you about replacing files when dragging files into your root directory.

Prefabs are handy, pre-made .map files which can be inserted into other maps. A good example of a prefab is a pre-made house; you could insert this house multiple times if you needed to, in order to populate a map set in a town.

To insert a prefab, right-click in the 2D view where you want the prefab to be inserted, then select misc from the menu, then choose prefab from the items listed in the sub-menu.

A new window will open prompting you to scroll through a list of folders and prefab files to choose and insert.

If for any reason you should navigate away from the prefabs folder, its location in the World at War directory is:

COD5_ROOT/map_source/_prefabs/

Models are, in a way, similar to prefabs but are usually smaller and more detailed than houses. Things such as chairs, bookcases, plants, trees, vehicles and many other things in your environment are models. Inserting a model is very similar to inserting a prefab.

To insert a model into your map, right-click in the 2D view where you would like the model to be inserted, then select misc from the menu, then choose model from the items listed in the sub-menu.

A new window will open, prompting you to select a model to use; however, it is quite a common occurrence that it will not initially open the correct folder to browse the models. The correct path in the World at War game root is: